Supporting stand for telephones and lamps



Oct. 21, 1952 W. C. O'BRIEN SUPPORTING STAND FOR TELEPHONEIS AND LAMPS Filed Nov. 15, 1948 gnaw/I'M, 'WCOBfiQT iii Patented Oct. 21, 1952 UNITED STATES?- OFI-FICZE...

SUPPORTING STAND FOR'lTEL'EPHONES AND LAMP-S- William C; OBricn, Baltimore, Md;..

Application November ,13, 1948;" Serial No:*59,942

fZfiClaims; (Cl. 179--14'-7 This inventionlrelates to supporting a 'standjfor telephones and lamps;

One object ofthe invention is'to provide the support With'a base plate that has sets ;of spaced wall-portions arranged to abut against "different peripheral parts of dial-telephonebases of angular shapeandiof ellipticalpshape, so that this;

device is useful and effective and; thoroughly practical for illuminating the dial of a telephonev whether its base be angular or elliptical or circular, and so vas to provide visual'guides to as? sist the user in correctly placing a telephone base of either rectangular or arcuate-shape'on the base-plate in the preferred one of the several. positions. in which, it is. to be confined and used Other objects and important features. are pointed out-or implied in the following detailed.

description. in connection with the accompanye ing drawings in which:

Fig. 1-is.a-top-plan view of. one of several. contemplated forms of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical fragmental sectional View along the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a central vertical sectional View, the section being taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental vertical sectional view of a modified form of light-attaching element or means to support an electric lamp and electric conducting elements thereof.

Referring to these drawings in detail, in which, similar reference numerals, and letters refer to similar parts thruout the several views, and correspond to those in the following: The invention is now described in detail as follows:

In broad terms, the invention comprises a baseplate 5 having corner portions 50 adapted to receive and support corners of a rectangular telephone-base (not shown), substantially angular wall-portions 6 projecting up from said cornerportions and adapted to abut against said telephone base for confining the latter against excessive movement horizontally while permitting it to be lifted from said base-plate. Said baseplate has an elliptical seat So for receiving an elliptical telephone-base (not shown) when the rectangular telephone-base is absent or away from said base-plate, a spaced arrangement of wallportions 1 at the end-portions of said elliptical seat where they are in proper: positions to abut against andconform toend=portions of an ellipti' cal telephone-base: for' confiningthe latter with respect to a lamp supported thereabove by means It 5 8-01? 8a xunitedaiwith one of said wall-portions 6 and which also supports conducting wires 3 (not shown) as porti'ons of the means-for producing light to illuminate th'e dial of the dial-telephone- (not shown). 10 second elliptical-seat 5 Jhaving its=majoraxis or: diameter. acrossxand" substantially at right angles to 1 that i of 1' the- :first-said elliptical seat, and at second arrangement of spaced arcuate wall-portions 9 arekunitecl with said base-plate in positions to-abut against and-conform to said end-portions of the: elliptical telephone-base when thelatter isseated on' the second elliptical:- seat. These elliptical seats are intermerged with zone-another, so "the' arcuate ends of the-seat 512 project beyondthe' arcuate lateral edges of the seat 55'; and viceversa, asseen by the series-of short linesat l2 extending beyond the series of dots'anddashes at I3 at upper'and lower parts of-Fig21, and'vice versa at right'and left' ofFig.

1.- These broken elliptical lines also indicate the two different positions'for' elliptical tele-'- phone-bases to beplacedand confined 'on' thebase-plate 5.

By reference to Figs. 3 and 4 it is seen that the wall-portions 6 are considerably higher than the wall-portions I and 9, so a rectangular telephone base may either straddle or be seated on the lower wall-portions 1 while its edges and ends are confined within the arrangement of wall-portions B; and if it is provided with the usual cushion-feet at its corners, such feet will rest on the corner-portions 50 or over the cushion-feet I 0 that are united with the under-side of the base-plate 5, for instance, in cavities such as indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 1, 3 and 4.

The wall-portions I and 9 are united at 19 and form abutments that include points in both ellipses that form the intermerged elliptical seats 5 and are correctly arranged and positioned to meet with end-portions of an elliptical telephonebase at four points and thereby prevent excessive horizontal displacement from either of the elliptical seats indicated at [2 and I3 when so placed 5 by a user. Therefore, the greater portions of the walls I and 9 could be omitted from opposite sides of each of these abutments 19, though all these wall-portions are useful to stiffen the baseplate and to supply ocular indicia as to placing the elliptical telephone-base in the more con- The seat-plate or base-plate 5 includes a venient of the two indicated positions, according to available seating space, and according to the relative position of the available electric outlet in a room in which the invention is to be used in any of its installations for service.

The internally threaded parts 8, 8a, of Figs. 1, 2 and 4 are for receiving the lower end of a tubular support such as is seen in a prior patent, for supporting a lamp and electrical conductors therefor (not shown; so no claim of novelty is made for this element per se.

One or more large openings are preferably provided thru the base-plate 5, to save material an deliminate weight and cost; but a strip or bridge 5b is preferably provided to assist the adjoining portions of the base-plate in supporting a card and/or booklet containing telephone-numbers and/or addresses or for receiving notes or messages received by telephone. Such card or/ancl booklet can be slid onto the base-plate thru the space between the wall-portions II when a rectangular telephone-base straddles or rests on the relatively low wall-portions 1 and 9 and 19.

I have no intention to limit my patent-protection to the precise details shown in the drawings and described in the foregoing, for my invention is susceptible of numerous changes within the scope of the inventive ideas as implied and claimed. I

This invention is claimed as follows:

1. In a stand for supporting a dial-telephone, a unit comprising a base-plate having cornerportions to receive and support corners of a rectangular telephone-base of a dial-telephone, angular wall-portions projecting upward from said corner-portions and comprising means to abut against said corners "for confining said telephonebas against excessive horizontal displacement while permitting the telephone-base to be lifted away from said angularwall-portions, said baseplate having an elliptical seatforreceiving an ellipitical base of a dial-telephone when said rectangular telephone-base is absent from said angular wall-portions, an arrangement of abutments united with said base-plate at opposite sides of end-portions of said elliptical seat and comprising means to abut against end-portions of said elliptical base for confining the latter against excessive horizontal displacement, said abutments being wall-portions that are arcuate to conform to the normally adjacent portions of an elliptical base of a dial-telephone and being considerably lower than said angular wall por tions.

2. In a stand for supporting a dial-telephone, a unit comprising a base-plate having cornerportions to receive and support corners of a rectangular telephone-base of a dial-telephone, angular wall-portions projecting upward from said corner-portions and comprising means to abut against said corners for confining said telephone base against excessive horizontal displacement while permitting the telephone-base to be lifted away from said angular wall-portions, said baseplate having an elliptical seat for receiving an elliptical base of a dial-telephone when said rectangular telephone-base is absent from said angular wall-portions, an arrangement of abutments united with said base-plate at opposite sides of end-portions of said elliptical seat and comprising means to abut against end-portions of said elliptical base for confining the latter against excessive horizontal displacement, and said base-plate comprising a second elliptical seat that has its major axis alined with and extending beyond the ends of the minor axis of the first-said elliptical seat, the intermediate portions of said elliptical seats intermerged with one another, said arrangement of abutments being common to both elliptical seats for retaining the elliptical telephone-base in either of the two positions shown.

WILLIAM C. OERIEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 87,591 Pafi Aug. 16, 1932 1,447,531 Carlson Mar. 6, 1923 2,690,475 Carmer Nov. 6, 1928 2,473,106 Mathieson June 14, 1949 2,588,862 Mayo Mar. 11, 1952 

